Attendance Allowance campaign win

We're thrilled to announce that Attendance Allowance has been protected for older people with sight loss. Attendance Allowance helps people aged 65 and over to meet the extra costs of their disability and to ensure that they're able to live as independent a life as possible.

Attendance Allowance is vital to older people with sight loss, as one of our supporters, John has told us:

"Attendance Allowance forms an essential and vital part of my income. It helps me pay some of those extra costs that inevitably come with sight loss. Without Attendance Allowance, I’d find it much more difficult to live a full and independent life."

Back in 2016, the Government was thinking of phasing out Attendance Allowance and moving the funding from the Department for Work and Pensions to local councils. We were really worried that if this were to happen, cash-strapped local authorities wouldn't be able to provide anything like an adequate replacement, meaning that fewer people with sight loss would have access to the additional support to live independently.

We let the Government know our views, lobbied MPs, worked in partnership with other disability and older people's organisations, engaged with local councils and crucially sought your support. Hundreds of you took action by writing to your MPs about protecting this vital benefit. As a result of your support, and only because of your support, on 19 January, the Government backed down and announced that Attendance Allowance would be staying as it is. This is fantastic news for older people with sight loss. Thank you so much for your support, we couldn't have done this without you.